Idiots In The News

HOOKSETT, N.H. (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston) - A New Hampshire teenager allegedly pointed a flare gun at another driver, but his plan backfired when he ended up firing a flare into his own car.

It happened about 5:45 p.m. Monday on Interstate 93 in Hooksett and Bow, police said.

Nicholas Richer, 18, of Manchester, was placed under arrested and charged with felony reckless conduct and criminal mischief. He was released on his own recognizance and ordered to appear in Concord District Court on June 4.

According to police, Richer cut off another driver during an illegal lane change at the Hooksett toll plaza. Police said gestures and erratic driving ensued and Richer brandished the flare gun outside his car window.

When Richer's flare gun went off in the car, his windshield was smashed and the front passenger seat got burned.

What do you do if you're on the run from the cops and being hunted by a tracking dog? Update your Facebook status, of course! Especially if you're Travis A. Nicolaysen of Port Angeles, Washington, pictured right. After updating his status from "Commiting a Crime" to "Hiding From the Cops" he was found by police and booked on a number of oustanding warrants. "Failure to get a Decent Haircut" is probably one of them.

Travis A. Nicolaysen escaped from officers in two foot chases on Apr. 4 and a dragnet that included a police dog tracking him through a Port Angeles neighborhood.* Police were searching for the 26-year-old after he allegedly failed to check in with his parole officer since January, the Peninsula Daily News reported.* One friend posted to his account: "cops all over you." Nicolaysen responded the next day with: "got away thanks bro."

Pilot Forgets to Use Landing Gear
Posted: 2007-07-15 18:41:54
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MIDDLESBORO, Ky. (July 15) - A pilot ran through the usual steps of getting ready to land his small plane, except for one little thing - he forgot to lower his landing gear.
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Without wheels, Thomas Lepsch's Beechcraft Bonanza skidded a few hundred feet down the runway at Middlesboro/Bell County Airport before coming to a stop Thursday.
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"I'd never been at this airport before," Lepsch said. "There's a routine you go through as you prepare for a landing. I was distracted by another plane taking off and simply forgot to lower the landing gear. It was pilot error."
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Lepsch, 50, of Kingsport, Tenn., was not hurt, and he said there appeared to be little damage to his small plane, which he has owned since 1985.
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He said he didn't have time to panic during his unconventional landing because he was concentrating on controlling the plane and shutting off the fuel supply.
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"There was a moment when I saw smoke and sparks when I thought of my four children and thought to myself that I wasn't ready for them to be without a father," he said. "I thought 'I sure hope I don't go up in a ball of fire."'
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Lepsch had been flying over eastern Kentucky "to scout out some good fishing sites."
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He said he considered driving, but after a storm front cleared out "it looked like a beautiful day for flying."

Man Jumps Off Bridge After a $20 Bill
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PALMETTO, Fla. (Sept. 19) - Mark Giorgio figured a 50-foot fall was worth $20. Giorgio, 47, was counting his money Monday while walking across the U.S. 41 bridge over the Manatee River when a $20 bill blew out of his hand and flew over the rail.
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He followed. And plummeted 50 feet into the river.
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Then he swam about 100 yards to fish the bill from the water.
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"I got my money back, hell yeah," Giorgio told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. "Twenty bucks is a lot of money when you're broke."
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He was fished from the water by a passing Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer. Giorgio, who said he was already suffering from a broken collarbone, refused treatment for cuts and sc****s he suffered in the fall.

Driver Jailed for Blowing Up Speeding Camera
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LONDON (Sept. 7) - A British motorist who blew up a road safety camera which had caught him speeding was jailed for four months Wednesday, Greater Manchester Police said.
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Craig Moore, 28, took his revenge on the camera, which had flashed him in the Hyde area of Manchester, in August 2005.
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Although the camera itself was badly damaged, images of him speeding and returning to destroy the evidence were stored in recording equipment in its unscathed base.
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More than 4,000 speed cameras are located across Britain, generating much cash and controversy. While supporters regard them as a useful tool to reduce accidents, critics see them as little more than a money-making opportunity.
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While Moore's attack on a camera was not Britain's first, it may rate as the most extreme. Other aggrieved drivers have previously used axes or paint.
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"Speed camera vandalism is reaching epidemic proportions, and the only solution is to scrap cameras," said Paul Smith, founder of Safe Speed campaign group which lobbies against the distinctive bright yellow devices.
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"Apart from their total failure to deliver improved road safety, they push good people outside of the law every day of the week."
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But the AA motoring organization said the system of speed camera enforcement in Britain was a lot fairer than other European countries where the cameras are often disguised or hidden.
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"Matched against those practices, and the fact that each UK speed camera is painted yellow and sited where there is a proven road safety risk, the vast majority of prosecutions are a fair cop and cameras are supported by around 70 per cent of the population," said Paul Watters, head of roads and transport policy for The AA Motoring Trust.

Alleged proposals to allow Egyptian husbands to legally have sex with their dead wives for up to six hours after their death have been branded a 'complete nonsense'.
The controversial new 'farewell intercourse' law was claimed, in Arab media, to be part of a raft of measures being introduced by the Islamist-dominated parliament.
They reported it would also see the minimum age of marriage lowered to 14 and the ridding of women's rights of getting education and employment.

Controversial: The 'farewell intercourse' law is 'a complete nonsense', according to sources
But sources inside the Egyptian Embassy in London have said the claims were 'completely false', 'forbidden in Islam' and 'could never imagine it happening'.
The source said the proposal, if it even existed, had not reached the parliament - although it was also admitted it could be the work of an extremist politician.
Although not officially rebutted, the claims that someone inside Egypt could introduce such a law provoked widespread scepticism.
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More...
100,000 women undergo brutal genital mutilation illegally in Britain (and some of the victims are as young as TEN)
'Down with military rule': Tens of thousands pack Tahrir Square to protest against army generals and pro-Mubarak election candidates
Democracy in action: death doth not them part in Egypt
The initial report, published on reputable English language website alarabiya.net, claimed Egypt's National Council for Women was reportedly campaigning against the changes.
It said the group said that 'marginalising and undermining the status of women would negatively affect the country's human development'.
Dr Mervat al-Talawi, head of the NCW, wrote to the Egyptian People’s Assembly Speaker Dr Saad al-Katatni addressing her concerns.

Outrage: The 'proposals' could have seen Egyptian husbands allowed to have sex with their dead wives (file picture)
Egyptian journalist Amro Abdul Samea reported in the al-Ahram newspaper that Talawi complained about the legislations which are being introduced under 'alleged religious interpretations'.
The subject of a husband having sex with his dead wife arose in May 2011 when Moroccan cleric Zamzami Abdul Bari said marriage remains valid even after death.
He also said that women have the right to have sex with her dead husband.
TV anchor Jaber al-Qarmouty slammed the notion of letting a husband have sex with his wife after her death under the so-called 'Farewell Intercourse' draft law.
He said: 'This is very serious. Could the panel that will draft the Egyptian constitution possibly discuss such issues? Did Abdul Samea see by his own eyes the text of the message sent by Talawi to Katatni?
'This is unbelievable. It is a catastrophe to give the husband such a right! Has the Islamic trend reached that far? Is there really a draft law in this regard? Are there people thinking in this manner?'